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HCA 13/72 f.205r: Right click on image for full size image in separate window

Transcription

The same day [CENTRE HEADING]

Examined on the sayd allegation/

Rp. 3us

John Cozens of the parish of Saint Buttolphs Algate London
Mariner aged twenty seaven yeares or thereabouts a witnes
sworne and examined saith and deposeth as followeth videlicet./

To the first article hee saith for that hee was none of the Company of the EastlandMerchant arlate hee cannot depose thereto./

To the 2 and 3 articles hee saith that hee this deponent was one of the
Company of the shipp Anne Pearcie of London wherof Captaine hare was Com=
mander which shipp went out from England in Company of the arlate shipp the East=land Merchant the voyage in question and continued company with her till the fifteenth
day of march last on which day being in Company together they were both sett upon
by fower spanish men of warr with whome they both continued feight till at length
the Anne Pearcie was fiered and by that meanes shee and her Company all but eightenne
whereof this deponent and his precontest Peter Woollcock were two) perished, which
eighteene were kept prisoners aboard the Spanish men of warr, and the EastlandMerchant and her Company escaped and gott safe to the port of Bickery arlate where
shee continued untill shee was there surprized by the same Spanish men of warr and
one Cardis a Captaine of a Pinke and Potash of Ligorne in the moneth of June
last (the certayne day hee remembreth not but saith it was about the 5th or 6th day
thereof) And hee saith that after the sayd Eastland Merchant had soe escaped away
the sayd Spanish men of warr tooke a smale ffrench vessell called Seltere and
upon enquiry of them what shipps were in Bickery they told them there was one
ffrench shipp and one English shipp, which English shipp they told the Spanish
men of warr was one of the two English shipps which they had formerly had a
fight with at Sea and which had twenty Spaniards prisoners aboard
her which they had taken in that fight, whereupon the sayd Spanish men of warr
came to the port of Buckery intending to take the sayd ffrench shipp and theEastland Marchant as they laye there, and the Vice Admirall of the Spanish men
of warr endeavouring to goe into Port found shallow water and soe put
tacked off againe and came to Anchor with the rest of the Spanish shipps out
of Comand Of Bickery Castle and while they lay there they called a consul=
tation and sent a boate to sound the depth of the water and the Eastland Marchant
perceiving the colours of the shipp they came from to bee Spanish made shott at
the boate which caused them to returne back, and in the meane tyme the sayd
Cardis coming with his Pinke and Potash of Ligorne up to the Admirall of the Spanish
men of warr spake unto the Admirall in the Italian tongue (which this deponent under=
standeth) and asked the Admirall of the Spanish what hee meant to doe that
hee did not goe in to take the English shipp and the ffrench shipp that was there or words to
that effect and the Admirall of the Spanish answered in Italian thus in effect that there was not
water enough whereto the sayd Captaine Cardis replyed and sayd followe mee and
I will show ye water enough whereupon the Spanish men of warr all weighed
Anchor presently, it being then about the fifth day of June last, and followed
the sayd Cardis, and this deponent and Peter Woolcocke his precontest and some others
being prisoners were thereupon presently put into hold for that hee cannot depose any thing of certayne
knowledge touching the fight betwixt the Eastland Merchant and the ffrench shipp and
the sayd Cardis and the Spanish men of warr, saving hee saith that the next day the sayd
ffrench shipp and Eastland Merchant were taken, and this deponent sawe and observed
that the sayd Cardis his Company brought an Anchor and Cable from aboard theEastland Merchant and put the same aboard the sayd Cardis his Pinke./

To

Sources

Primary sources

TNA

PROB

PROB 11/420/152 Will of James Cozens, Mariner belonging to Their Majesty's Ship Sussex 18 May 1694